Countess of Gainsborough

Maker John Greenhill (British, 1649 - 1676)

Additional Title(s)

Elizabeth, Countess of Gainsborough

ClassificationsDRAWINGS

Date1669

Mediumpastel on brown laid paper

Dimensions9 7/8 x 7 1/2 in. (25.1 x 19.1 cm.)

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Sir Bruce Ingram Collection

Status

Not on view

Label TextPortraits like this one capitalized on the expanding market for portraiture that came with the reestablishment of the royal court after the restoration of King Charles II in 1660. Here, the Countess of Gainsborough is depicted with fashionably heavylidded eyes. Dark shadows accentuate her languid gaze. The artist suggests the lively contour of sheer net lace at the sitter’s neckline with just a few quick strokes of white. Highlights sparkle off the pearls in her necklace and earring, lending them a tactile quality, a sensuousness that underscores the figure’s beauty (2022).

Object number63.52.90

Terms